Path Between Light and Dark
by ArabianSeabiscuit
Summary: Tidus, Sora and Roxas's little brother, misses his older brothers that disappeared from Destiny Islands one year ago. When Sora and the others came back he is overjoyed to see them. However, after a few weeks danger interrupts their lives once again.
1. Little Brother

The Path Between Light and Dark

Chapter 1: Little Brother

I awoke to the waves lapping against the shore outside my window. Sunlight filtered into my window and lit the room with a golden glow. A large yawn escaped from me as I stretched. I inhaled deeply and got out of bed to shower. It took me a few minutes to get ready for my first day of high school.

I gazed into the mirror over my dresser. A boy with tan skin, crystal blue eyes, and long spiky blond hair gazed back. The school uniform was a white shirt with plaid pants and matching tie. I slipped on black, blue, and white sneakers on and clipped on my chain with a "T" pendant on it around my neck.

"Tidus, honey! Hurry up or you'll going to be late for your first day of school!" my mom yelled.

"Coming, mom!" I called back. I took a quick glance around my room to make sure I hand everything I needed: backpack, pens, pencils, and etc. I grabbed my backpack and headed downstairs to the kitchen. A brunette woman with bright emerald green eyes smiled at me.

"Good morning, honey! Are you excited for about today!"

"Yeah, mom, I am!" Truth be told I was looking forward to high school. Meeting all kinds of people at one time fascinated me.

I turned around as footsteps entered into the kitchen. "Morning', Aerith." My father Cloud drawled as he sat at the table. She leaned down, and he obliged her with a kiss on the lips. He smirked, "Now that's a wake up call."

He ruffled my hair: "Hey, Ti, ready for your first day?"

"You bet!"

"That's my boy!" He grinned.

I smiled and glanced around the kitchen almost immediately my smile faded. Noticing this my mom walked over to me. "What's wrong, Ti, are you sick?"

"No, I just miss Sora and Roxas." I muttered.

"Oh. Don't worry, Tidus, your brothers will come back."

"But when, mom? Its been a year now and still nothing."

"Don't fret, kid, Sora and Roxas will be back before you know it. You know they would never miss your birthday." my dad voiced.

I thought for a moment and smiled, "You know, dad, you're right."

"Now go to school, so you won't be late on your first day." My mom urged.

"Thanks, guys!" I hugged them both and ran out the door to Destiny Island High School.

I slowed to a walk, and my thoughts shifted back to my brothers. 'I hope they're alright.' The last time we saw each other was before Destiny Islands suddenly disappeared, and all the people including myself were put in some weird suspended animation until the islands returned. Sora, Roxas, Riku, and Kairi never returned though. Well, Kairi did come back around the same time the islands reappeared but others did not. She also brought another girl with her named Namine. Namine happened to be Kairi's twin sister even though she was blond. However, she looked exactly like Kairi.

Consequently, these thoughts brought me to my own family. I am the adopted son of Cloud and Aerith Strife and younger adopted brother of Sora and Roxas Strife. My biological parents Jecht and Suki Hikari died in a car accident when I was two. Although I don't remember them much, they left me two plush toys: an Ixion and a Bahamut. The toys were almost lifelike in appearance. I chuckled to myself: "I'm almost 14, and I still admire plush toys."

I looked around to see where I was going. Destiny Islands was to my left and Twilight Town to my right. The latter city was like the downtown area of the metropolis. However, the two cities were entirely different. I reached my new high school in a matter of minutes. Destiny Islands High was huge. I saw five orange buildings with white trimming. Tropical plants surrounded it. A multitude of teenagers were standing in and around it. I sighed because I was the only person going here besides my brothers and some of their friends. Roxas's friends, Wakka, and Selphie all went to Twilight High in the inner city.

"Hey are you okay?" a voice asked. I turned and gasped at how pretty this girl was. She had long brown hair that was tied into a single braid and brown bangs framed her face. She had unusual eyes: one was light blue and the other emerald green.

"Um, yeah, just a little down, I guess." I breathed.

"Oh, well my name is Yuna." She held out her hand.

"Tidus." I shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Tidus. I hope we meet again sometime. Well, see you later." She walked off into the school.

"Yeah." I breathed. "Nice meeting you to." I smiled and jogged into another building. 'Maybe this isn't as bad as I thought it would be.'


	2. Mystical Connections

Path between Light and Darkness

Path between Light and Darkness

Ch. 2: Ixion

I met up with Yuna's girlfriends in Search for Truth. Yuna was sitting behind me talking to Rikku, a blond girl with green eyes. Her other friend Paine, a girl with grey hair and scarlet-brown eyes, was listening to their conversation intently. Rikku was a bubbly person, but Paine, on the other hand, was of the gothic sort. However, she was cool to hang out with. Yuna saw me staring and giggled while my cheeks burned. 'She has a cute laugh. WOAH! I did not just think that!'

"So why do you carry that horse plush in your backpack?" Paine queried.

"My mom gave it to me when I was two." I replied.

"Oh, wow! She must have been talented to make something like that." Rikku said.

"No, she didn't make it. My adoptive mother did; she just gave it to me."

"What happened to your mom?" Yuna asked.

"She and my dad died in a car accident when I was three."

"Oh! I'm sorry."

"Don't be. My adoptive family treats me like their real son. Although, they said my biological parents were some of the best people they ever met."

"Do you miss them?"

"I don't really remember them, but I sometimes think what life would be like if they were still alive."

"We can all sympathize with you. We all lost a parent. Rikku and I lost our mothers, and Paine's father died."

I nodded in understanding; sometimes it's a little hard to fit in with people that aren't your real parents. Though, mom and dad assured me that I'm as much their son as Sora and Roxas are. This always makes me feel better.

My first day of high school came to a close and I said goodbye to my new friends. I decided to walk around tram common to kill some time. I spotted a hole in the wall and the thick forest that lie beyond it. I took a walk on the one path through the forest; I thought you can't get lost on only one path right. I realized no sound echoed through the forest, water, birds, or even bugs. "Weird, there should be some noise in here." I muttered. I trudged along in silence until I spotted a huge mansion. 'Whoa! This place is huge!'

The mansion was made of red brick that had large burn marks scattered on them. A big gate surrounded it, but a hole was in it. I walked through it, and realized that different parts of the house were scorched. 'That's weird.' I thought. I went around the house to the back; for fear that it might collapse. 'Or who ever did it comes back.' When I reached the backyard; I stopped in awe at the statues arranged in a semicircle.

Each statue was made of a different stone, and they were carved into monster forms. From left to right was: Ifrit made of red sandstone, Valefor made of red slate, Ixion made of blue granite, Shiva made of white limestone, Anima made of grey slate, Quetzalcoatl made of green volcanic rock, and Yojimbo made of white marble. In the center of these statues was an obsidian statue of Bahamut that had blue streaks in it. I approached the statues and spied small niches in them that were the size of my Ixion plush. I immediately wished that I brought my Bahamut plush as well. A light shone, and said plush appeared in its niche. "Wow!" I exclaimed.

"It is spectacular isn't it, deary?"

A yelp escaped me after I turned my head to see three fairies behind me. I backed up as the green-garbed one flew up to me. "Don't be scared, dear. We mean you no harm." She said.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Flora, the one in red is Fauna, and the blue-clothed one is Merryweather." The other two fairies waved and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Tidus!"

"Oh! So you're Sora and Roxas's younger brother."

"You know Sora and Roxas?!"

"Yes, they came to us for assistance a little while ago." Fauna said.

"They asked us to deliver your birthday present in case they didn't come home in time." Merryweather said.

"Oh, really." I sighed.

"Don't worry, Tidus. They'll be back before you know it, and they got their presents from all of you here as well."

"Thanks."

"It was no trouble, dear."

"Now, go on home before your parents get too worried. It's getting late." Fauna warned. 'They're like sweet old grandmothers.' I mused. I nodded yes and ran off toward my home.


	3. Friendship

Path between Light and Darkness

Path between Light and Darkness  
Chapter 3: Friendship  
Yuna greeted me at the school gate the following day. I hung out with her for most of the day. She started acting a little odd in first period, and I had a feeling something was wrong. Although, I left it up to her to tell me. She finally talked to me about her problem at lunch.  
"Tidus?" I glanced up at Yuna from my food. She appeared even more worried than before. "What's wrong?" I queried.  
"I-."  
"Hello, there, Yuna." A grey-haired teen called. His maroon eyes unsettled me a bit, and I saw Yuna shiver under his gaze.  
"Hello, Seymour." she said. I growled silently at him. Finally, he turned his attention to me. I met his glare with one of my own.  
"Oh, hello, Tidus." He sneered as he said my name. My glare became more venomous. He focused his gaze back to Yuna. "It was good to see you again, Yuna." He smirked at me, smiled at her, and strolled away slowly. Before he was out of sight, he glanced back at me and grinned disturbingly.  
"How can you stand that guy?" I murmured.  
"Oh, he's just a little rough around the edges." Yuna assured. "He was one of my best friends since we were little, but lately we've been drifting apart. The gap seems to increase everyday."  
"Huh?! I mean what?!" I composed myself. "He doesn't seem to be the best friend type."  
She stared at me strangely, "What do you mean?"  
"Well, lightly speaking, he… hates my guts."  
"But I like you as a friend."  
"You really mean it?"  
"Of course, silly. You're a good person, and no one has ever befriended me for so long except for Rikku and Paine, obviously."  
"Thanks, Yuna, it means a lot to me that you say that. Hey! I got an idea! We can hang out over at the Play Island this after school!" She gave me a quizzical look. "Just as friends." I clarified.  
"Oh, well that sounds like fun!"  
"Meet me after school by the docks. I'll bring food and anything else we need. See you after school." I dashed away down the hall for class, eager for school to end. I heard Yuna whisper behind me, "Yeah, see you."  
The rest of the day flew by without anything happening, and I told my plan to Rikku and Paine my plans with Yuna after school so they wouldn't worry. I raced home and bounded up the steps to my room. I changed my clothes to a blue shirt, sky blue pants, and sandals. I went downstairs and snatched two sea-salt ice cream bars from the freezer. "Tidus, is that you?" my mom called.  
"Yeah! I'm going out with Yuna for a bit; I'll be back before 11:00!"  
"Okay! Just be careful!" She warned.  
I met Yuna at the docks. When she turned to face me, I gasped in awe of her. Her swimsuit hugged her curves perfectly and accented the light tan of her skin. However, her long hair radiated a golden glow in the sunlight. Her uneven eyes sparkled like the ocean waves around her. 'Whoa! She's beautiful!' I thought. "Um, Tidus, what are you staring at?" she asked timidly.  
"Oh! Uh, it's just that… you look very pretty in your swimsuit." I blushed harshly as I said this, and I could tell she was too by the pink on her cheeks. "Thank you. Maybe we should go now." She suggested.  
"Uh, right! Let's get going!" We climbed into my boat together, and I rowed us to the island. "Wow! It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. I just smiled at her as we got closer to the island.  
I helped her out and sat down on the beach; she mirrored my example. I breathed a relieved sigh and lied down on my back. "This place is amazing. I never thought an island can be so breathtaking."  
"Yeah, Destiny Islands is full of surprises." I remarked.  
"Is the Twilight Town part of it this unique, too?" I glanced up at her. I sat up so that I was facing her. "Well, yeah it is. If you go to the balcony of the clock tower you can see the whole Destiny archipelago, the sunset, and the Twilight Forest all in one view. It's pretty awesome."  
"Wow, all that in one view. I would like to see it sometime."  
"Don't worry. I'll take you one day. It's a promise." she smiled that brilliant smile at me. I handed her one of the sea-salt ice creams, "Here. Eat this." She licked it and immediately grimaced, "What kind of ice cream is this?"  
"Wait for it." I urged. She gazed at me quizzically for a moment before she hummed a satisfying "Mmmmm."  
"Salty but sweet." I told her as I licked my own bar. We ate our ice creams in silence just enjoying each other's company. Purple crept across the sky as the sun set below the horizon. "We'd better get back home now before my parents kill me, especially my dad." I said. Yuna nodded in agreement. I rowed us back to the main island and watched Yuna run home. "Thanks, Tidus, see ya at school tomorrow!" she yelled back at me.  
"Bye!" I answered loudly. I turned and raced off to my own abode. My mom and dad were in the kitchen. "Have fun today, kid?" my dad asked.  
I gazed playfully at both of them: "You have no idea." They looked at each other eyebrows raised. I grinned widely and went to bed.


End file.
